Vampire in the Night
by Purple-Harlequin
Summary: Joker, Batman, a new villainess called Yoru fight a greater evil. This fanfic is about the battle to fight against orders to save the ones you hold dear. Beware: Strong vampiric content...
1. A Night on the Town

_Hiya! This is my first fanfic, but it's not complete yet! I put the first chapter on here so I'd know what you guys think and give me some feedback and tell me if there's anything I could improve on in later chapters.  
__I hope you love it so much you are willing to give me your souls! Muwahahaha!  
Scratch that. I am a massive Joker fan… and this fan fiction involves the man himself along with Batman and a new character; Yoru. She's a new villian who possesses lightning speed and attacks. You would miss her if you blinked, so tape your eyes open and continue with the story…_

**Disclaimer: Sapphirepearlz doesn't own Gotham, (although she'd like to) Joker, (although she'd like to) or Batman. (Although she'd… nah.)  
****The Batman related characters are property of DC comics, but Yoru/Freowen and Murdoch are mine.**

Glossary

_Getsurin_ - A backflip which requires a lot of energy to perform. On contact, it hits the opponent with the user's feet and can temporarily daze the victim. If it misses, the user is at a disadvantage because they need time to recover from controlling their landing.

* * *

**Vampire in the night**

Moonlight washed over the streets of Gotham city, highlighting the nightlife; drunken teenagers gripped each other, giggling like hyenas; couples stole a kiss… The figure sitting on a rooftop, hidden by the shadow of the small building on the roof behind her, turned her head towards a nearby alleyway.

"Typical," she murmured, watching a lowlife mugger attempt to grab a bag from a young lady. The woman looked terrified; Yoru's black lips curled into a smile. Law-abiding citizens were so pathetic. Never training themselves for protection; making themselves vulnerable to the world in which they live in. Not her, though.

"I thought I saw you up here!" A voice exclaimed, from behind her. Yoru didn't move, her gaze was still upon the pair of people in the alleyway. The mugger had just knocked the woman to the floor and was looking for her dropped bag in the darkness. The trespasser sat beside her, on the ledge of the rooftop.

"Not talking?" Yoru didn't answer. "Fine, I'm sorry for doing graffiti on that picture. If I knew you were after it, I would've let you have a go"

She looked at the man beside her, eyebrow raised. The moonlight made Joker look ghostly pale, but his vivid green hair brought life to his character. Though his smile would have frightened any normal girl, Yoru found him interesting. Besides; she wasn't a normal girl, anyway.

"No." She said, returning her gaze to the people below. Joker cocked his head to one side.

"Would you quit speaking in riddles? I get enough of that from Nigma."

"I'm not upset, Joker."

"Oh. That makes more sense." His sarcastic tone made Yoru look at him. Joker was drawing circles on his temple with one finger.

"You can talk, you maniac."

"Flatterer." There was a short pause, where Yoru focused her attention on a gang of youths taking drugs near the closed train station. The Joker spoke again. "So why are you up here?"

"Don't see any reason why I shouldn't be."

"That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard." He cracked his knuckles casually.

"Don't you have some big plan to unmask The Bat or something?" She asked. Joker cackled.

"That would be telling; It's supposed to be a surprise." A horn sounded below. A drunken woman had stumbled into the middle of the road and a car had almost hit her. Joker peered down at her. "Moron. Some people in this town are so stupid; and they call me insane!" Yoru gave Joker a curious look. He frowned at her. "What?"

"Nevermind."

Joker's frown intensified. "What is it? I hate curiosity!"

"What's your story? How did you end up here… doing what you do?" Yoru tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, now bored with the teenagers. She turned to Joker and gave him a look of polite interest through her black eye mask. "Of course, you don't have to answer. I'm just interested, is all."

"Hmm…" Joker murmured. "Well, let's just put it this way; don't go swimming in a vat of chemicals." Yoru gave him a disbelieving look.

"O…kay…"

"Your turn."

"You really want to know?" She frowned at him for looking so cheerful.

"Sure. This won't be much of a slumber party if we don't tell each other our secrets."

"It's not really a secret; it's just… I don't choose to talk about it." She looked up at the stars, holding back a tear. Her visage didn't break, though. It never would. "Well… I was orphaned when I was five. My parents didn't want me; that's what I told myself. I haven't a clue who they are, or why they left me; but that's my explanation. I was bullied in my teens because I was… different to other girls."

"How different?"

"I just didn't like the things they did. I preferred the dark side of everything to their pink and fluffy world." Joker sniggered. Yoru smiled, but continued. "I ran away when I was 16 and became a stowaway on a flight to Japan. Once I got there, I fell for the glamour of crime. It seemed far for exciting than an honest living. I trained with the ninja and after many years of perfecting my technique, I came here; ready to begin my real training. And… that's about it."

Joker raised his eyebrows at her, surprised. "So you're just some ordinary gal who jumped on the bandwagon?"

"I didn't jump on the bandwagon. I chose my own path, thank you very much." She sniffed, rather annoyed by his reaction to her past.

"Yeah, well…"Joker stood up and applied a pair of springs to his feet. "Congratulations on nearly making Batsy kiss tarmac the other day; but the flying rodent's mine."

"Wouldn't dream of - did you just hear that?" She got to her feet and listened intently toward the door behind them.

"Of course I heard you! I may be mad, but I'm not de-" Yoru covered his mouth with her hand.

"Shh!" She lowered her hand and moved toward the door cautiously.

"Hey, what gives?" He asked her. Yoru motioned for him to lower his voice. "Is it your time of the month or something?" He whispered. Yoru pressed her ear against the door then frowned. She backed away from it.

"What now?"

She took a deep breath and started running towards the door at top speed. She kicked the door down to reveal an empty room. Joker stood behind her, looking over her shoulder at the room, which looked like an small, old warehouse.

"Jeez; talk about paranoia. There's no one there. Happy now?"

"No…" She rushed to the open window and looked outside. "Dammit." Yoru jumped out, leaving Joker in the empty room.

"What?" He whined, following her steps to the window. He took one look outside, to see her sprinting across the rooftops, perusing… nothing, it seemed. Joker sighed exasperatedly. "I hate babysitting." He, too, jumped out of the window and bounced after Yoru while yelling, "Yoru! What the hell are you doing!" Then he lost sight of her when she turned a corner. "Oh that's just great... I've had enough of this wild goose chase. I'm going home. "

Yoru ran after the tall cloaked figure, who was fleeing the area. They clearly had something to hide. What were they spying on her for?

She followed them across Gotham's rooftops, ignoring the stitch in her side. It seemed like she'd been running for hours; would she be able to take any more?

Then… they stopped. Yoru slowed to a halt too, gasping for air, but keeping her eyes upon her prey. They turned to look at her - she couldn't see the face beneath the hood - then they walked away. Yoru straightened herself up and made to run for them, but stopped. Was this a trap? The figure continued to walk away- wait… it looked more like they were gliding, on closer inspection. Yoru watched them, warily; not knowing what to do next.

Then, without warning, they vanished.

"What!" She exclaimed, eyes searching frantically for a sign of the figure. Then she noticed that the temperature around her was decreasing. She spun round to find the cloaked man (they didn't have the right build for a woman) was behind her. She performed a Getsurin on him, but it had no effect. The time it took for her to recover from the attack was enough for him to push her in the stomach. Yoru landed 20 feet away, dazed by this sudden move. This person… they seemed too strong.

"W-who are you?" She asked, struggling to get up. The figure laughed. The laugh sounded similar to the Joker's but the clown's laugh sounded playful whereas this was an evil, mirthless laugh that sounded as rough as sandpaper.

"Who I am is not important." He walked towards her, taking deliberate, slow steps as she fought against invisible bounds. "I've been watching you for a long time, Freowen."

Yoru drew a sharp breath, her heart pounding furiously. "Freowen died a long time ago. All that's left of her is me. Yoru." He laughed again; she grit her teeth. "What is it you want?"

He stopped, mid-laugh and stared at her with unseen eyes. "I want to make a proposition to you."

Yoru glared up at him. "Whatever it is, my answer is no."

"Hah. Why ask what I want if you will not even hear it?" He crouched down in front of her. "It's not as bad as you think."

"I wanted to know your purpose here in Gotham. I didn't say I would do anything for you." She stared, hatefully into the dark space where his eyes would be.

"I'm afraid you have no choice." He clicked his fingers and Freowen felt the invisible bounds fall loose. She looked at him, surprised.

"What…"

"I'll give you a chance to win your freedom." He straightened up and walked a distance away from her.

"How?" Yoru dusted her emerald green costume off and kept a careful watch on him. "But what if I lose? What will you make me do?"

"I want you to defeat me. You needn't worry if you think you're strong enough. And you do, Freowen."

"Don't call me Freowen!" She screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm not Freowen, anymore!"

"Enough of this. Begin!" He stood there, watching her decide her move, wiping her eyes with a gloved finger. Then she started towards him, moving as fast as lightning, disappearing into shadows; it was all an optical illusion. One which would fool mortals. But not this man. He pushed his hand forward and Yoru tumbled out of the darkness, as if something had hit her. She clutched her face and glared at him before taking off again. This time, she jumped high into the air and grabbed his head with her feet, twisting them as she went. That would've definitely finished him off.

She landed, crouching on her feet, gasping for air, with her back to the man's body. After a few seconds of listening to the surrounding sounds, she stood up. 'Feh.' She thought. 'I knew it; just another petty wannabe.' She turned to look at him, expecting a bloody mess: she had snapped his spinal cord; but instead she was greeted with an empty space where his body should have been.

She didn't need to think. She just ran, as fast as she could. Away from that place, away from the man who wouldn't die…

"Going somewhere?" A voice was brought to her on the wind before she received a sudden blow to her stomach. She fell to the ground, eyes watering from the pain. No… she mustn't give up…

Yoru stood, knees shaking, and braced herself for another fight.

"Show yourself; I'm not finished yet!"

Then… silence. Even the nightlife on the ground seemed to have stopped. The air felt dense all around her, even as she panted for oxygen.

What seemed like an eternity passed, and Yoru finally lowered her arms, her heart slowing down to its regular beat.

She smirked in grim satisfaction at nothing in particular. "You can't defeat me." Yoru muttered as she turned to leave when a sudden wind picked up around her and whipped her black hair about her face. Then the voice returned, the voice as coarse as gravel; as cold as graves.

"Is that a fact?"

Lightning flashed before her, landing on the rooftop she stood upon, creating a ring of fire which surrounded her. There was no escape. She searched frantically for an way out, but the fire was closing in on her. Then she felt a sudden faint and all feeling left Yoru as she fell into eternal darkness.

_To be continued_


	2. Rat in the Alley

Chapter Two - Rat in the Alley

The next night found the Batman at the scene another of Joker's failed pranks. The said clown lay trapped within his own card. Encased in wood. Basically, the prankster was stuck inside a giant joker playing card.

Having spent a few hours at Arkham that day, Batman wasn't feeling too keen on making sure that Joker got there safely, but: work is work. Being the protector of Gotham isn't always the best choice of career, but if you're going to do something, do it properly.

But seeing as the police department wanted him arrested, he'd better make himself scarce until they get the clown into a vehicle, when he could follow them to the Asylum in his Batmobile.

Batman left the building, and the fifty people inside it, then called his car via his utility belt. Two minutes later, the Batmobile came speeding down the road silently. Batman jumped into the drivers seat and drove it into an alleyway, from which, he could watch the police breaking Joker out of his wooden fortress, and take action if the clown attempted to get away.

It was slow progress; they had to make sure that they didn't harm Joker; his facial muscles were paralysed, but that didn't stop him from giggling hysterically, through his teeth.

"Do you think we'll need to call the fire department?" asked Ellen Yin, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. Her partner, Ethan Bennett shook his head and continued to hack into the wood.

"No way. I got _you_ out of this, didn't I?"

Ellen frowned, but continued, nonetheless. A minute passed, and they had managed to break off the top section of wood. They handcuffed Joker, as a safety precaution, then set about working free his legs. Now they had half of the wood removed, it was easier to pull off the second section. Once Joker was hauled out of the 'card,' he was led to a grey van, which had the words 'Arkham Asylum' written along the side in black ink. His facial muscles still frozen, all he could manage in protest was a roll of his eyes and an annoyed grunt.

"Don't say you didn't bring this on yourself, Joker." Commissioner Gordon said, as the Arkham personnel closed and locked the steel door. One of the men from Arkham approached Gordon and shook his hand. He bore a badge which read: 'Butch Perkins - Arkham Official'

"Thank you, Commissioner Gordon. We'll make sure Joker remains locked up in Arkham and an incident like this never occurs again."

"You'd better see to it. Fifty people could've drowned tonight."

"It won't happen again, sir." With that, Butch made a last minute check to see if Joker was still in the back of the van.

He was; still grinning at the wall.

Meanwhile, Batman was growing bored with watching the group of people. He was resting his chin on the steering wheel of the Batmobile, still keeping an eye on the grey van.

"Come _on!_" He muttered, impatiently. Then he heard something. Something behind the Batmobile. He turned and narrowed his eyes at the darkness of the alley, that seemed ready to pounce upon him. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed exasperatedly. "Just a rat."

Batman turned back to face the street. The van was gone. Batman started up the engine of his vehicle the Batmobile roared into life for a few brief seconds before giving up. "Not now…" He checked his gas meter; it was empty. "What… impossible!" He always had a full tank. Batman cursed and got out of the vehicle, taking out his secondary vehicle remote: the Batcycle. As he pressed the button, he heard another noise. It was very soft, but his radar signals picked it up. Batman faced the darkness and stared into it for a few seconds. No. It was probably just that stupid rat, again.

Then the Batcycle entered the alleyway; lights illuminating the darkness. Batman's eyes widened as he saw what he had heard only moments before; a figure standing in the middle of the alley.

"No!" He jumped onto the person, pushing them out of the way of the vehicle. When the Batcycle had stopped right next to the Batmobile, Batman stood up and looked down at the figure clothed in an emerald green costume. They looked up at him. "Yoru? What are you doing here? You could've been killed! You… I don't have time for this." He made to turn, but Yoru passed him and blocked his way.

"Where do you think you're going?" Her face was void of expression.

"Get out of the way, before-"

"-you punch my lights out?" She threw her head back and laughed an evil laugh. "I think it's the other way around, darling." Batman glared at her.

"I don't have the time for your petty games, Yoru. Just move out of the way."

"Yeah?" She raised an eyebrow, "And who's going to make me? Besides, I'm not leaving until I get what I want."

"Maybe some other time. Now, if you would excuse me…" He walked past her.

Yoru smirked. "It was me who broke your Hot Wheel."

Batman frowned and turned to her. "What?"

"I drained the petrol from your tank. You need a better safety mechanism if you ask me."

"Why, Yoru? I thought you were a theif, not a… wait." He gave her a look of exasperation. "You're working for The Joker, aren't you? That's why you're trying to stop me from making sure he gets to Arkham. You've got a plan to break him out, haven't you?"

Yoru laughed. "You think too much, Batman. All I want is you."

"Huh?" She walked to him; her face was an inch from his. "What are y-" He slumped to the floor as Yoru reapplied her black lipstick.

"Not just a pretty face, am I; Batboy?" She took her eyes off his unconscious form and placed her gaze upon the Batcycle. The engine was humming patiently; waiting for its next command.

A smile crept onto Yoru's face. This was too easy.

---

On the other side of Gotham, the van, which contained the clown prince of crime, was nearly at its destination of Arkham Asylum.

Joker's facial muscles had finally relaxed, but he still wore his trademark grin. The only way the Arkham personnel could tell that he had recovered was due to his incessant heckling.

"Do they pay you to wear that awful outfit? I know I'd demand compensation to look at it. Bwahahahaha!" The personnel looked at each other, worriedly. They hated Joker's laugh; it sent cold shivers down their spine.

When he finally stopped laughing he bounced up and down on the bench. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there- WOO! Speed bump!"

The van drew to an abrupt stop and Butch got out, taking a torch out with him. The two men inside looked petrified.

"Did we hit, anything?"

Butch scanned the road. The van definitely hit something solid, but it didn't make too much of an impact on the van's velocity. He shone the torch out further and…

Butch's heart started pounding like a jackhammer.

"Oh no…" He moaned. There was a woman lying in the middle of the road; and she wasn't moving.

He turned back to the van, feeling sick. "Rod, Nick! I'm gonna need your help!" The two men left the van, terrified and inspected the body with Butch.

Joker poked his face out from the bars of the van. "Ooo… you're in trouble!" He started sniffing the air. "I smell a demotion!"

Butch took the lady's wrist and felt for her pulse. It was weak. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. "She's not dead yet. There's still some hope left. Nick, call 911!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

Yoru kicked the phone from the man's hand and smashed his face with the heel of her boot. The other two men were used to sudden behaviour in Arkham, so they weren't taken by surprise. They grabbed her arms and legs and tried to restrain her, but Yoru managed to free one hand and strike her sharp fingers into the soft flesh of the man nearest to her. Blood oozed from the wound as the last man gaped in open-mouthed horror. He hadn't prepared for _that_. He dropped Yoru's legs and made for the van.

But before he could make it, she jumped on his back and smashed his face into the concrete.

He was finished.

Yoru looked at her right hand, which was shining with blood. It was so beautiful… she admired the crimson liquid running down her palm before licking it off. She grimaced: the blood tasted sour. It had been in the open for too long. She wiped the remainder of blood, in disgust on the grey tunic of the man whose face was split open.

Yoru's attention was brought by the maniacal laughter of Joker, who was rattling the bars of the van as though what she had just done was the greatest comedy act on the planet. Upon seeing this sight she remembered what she followed the van to do. Re-coating her lipstick, she took the keys from the man below her, and walked away from the van.

"Hey! You're not just gonna leave me here, are you, Yoru?" Joker shouted at her back. She ignored him and dragged the unconscious form of Batman off the Batcycle, which she had hidden behind a dumpster. She pulled the vigilante towards the van, where Joker was fuming at this new sight.

"I thought I told you to stay away from Batman! I am the one who will vanquish him! You hear!"

"Yeah, yeah: I hear." Yoru muttered, indifferently. She took the keys from her pocket and undid the lock on the door. She peered through the bars. "Now; when I open this door, you promise not to run away?"

Joker frowned at her. "I'm not promising anything." He said, darkly.

"Well, you can stay in here then." Yoru locked the door again and dragged Batman to the passenger seat. Her stomach growled. She looked at Batman, whose head was now leaning on the window. His neck was obscured by that damn cowl.

"Come on, Yoru. Quit playing games and let me out." Joker teased. Yoru had stopped, key in the ignition.

"I guess you're right." She sighed, opening her door and getting out the keys. She closed her eyes while she was unlocking the door, breathing heavily. Then the lock clicked and she opened her eyes again, opening the door. Joker was watching her, with a raised eyebrow. He looked like he was ready to run out from the van, but he sat on the bench again, still watching her.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, as she climbed into the van and sat beside him, gasping for air.

"I…" She turned to him and saw that his neck was vulnerable. Excellent. "I don't know, Joker." She put on the waterworks. "I've been so confused lately!" Yoru threw herself into his arms; Joker flinched as though she had just hit him. He didn't like contact with other people.

"I'm sorry to hear that… but I've really got to go… now." He held her wrists and took her arms from around him.

"Don't go!" She cried.

Joker shook his head, incredulously. "What now?" He said impatiently, but before he could comprehend what her next move was, Yoru's lips brushed against his and he fell to the floor.

Yoru wiped her lipstick off and crouched next to Joker's body, tilting his head back so she could see where his veins were. When Yoru caught sight of one, her teeth struck into his pale flesh and the warm blood seeped into her mouth.

_To be continued…_

NB: Sorry about the abrupt ending!


	3. A Myth Made Flesh

-1Chapter Three - A Myth Made Flesh

Everything was all dark… he could hear the sound of water lapping at the side of the building.

Where was he?

Batman lifted his head; there was something tight around his wrists and ankles which was slowly coming into focus in the dim light - cords. He raised his hands to his face: he still had his cowl on. Batman breathed a sigh of relief as he turned his head to the figure beside him. Though the light was faint through the windows caked with dirt, Batman could recognise Joker's flamboyant hair and athletic physique. He was snoring lightly. 'Oh great' He thought tiredly, 'I'm stuck in the middle of God knows where with a lunatic.'

Then he heard footsteps approaching. Batman recalled his devices on his utility belt, and thought hard on which one to use to get him and the Joker out of there. 'Acid: no, too risky. What if it spills?'

"Freowen? Come here." A harsh, male voice penetrated the silence, causing Joker to stir. The clown squinted at Batman, who was still planning an escape, with his crimson red eyes.

"So you're finally awake, Batsy? I woke up before you did, but I thought I needed some extra beauty sleep." He chuckled, looking around. "Cosy, isn't this?"

"Quiet, Joker." Batman muttered from the side of his mouth. He pulled out his Batarang, with great difficulty and pressed the edge against his wrist.

"Quitting the game, 'Guano boy'? I don't think suicide is the right option for a hero." Joker sneered, chuckling all the same. Batman ignored him and made to cut the cords binding his wrists, when light flooded the room. Someone had opened a door. Batman hid the Batarang and lay still.

"Master Murdoch, what are we going to do with them?" A familiar voice asked, curiously. Footsteps passed Batman, who was facing away from the person, thinking fast.

Joker, on the other hand, was pretending to be asleep, but he peeked one eye open to look at the people in the room. The man named Murdoch, who was now sitting in an ornate throne-like chair, had long blond hair in a ponytail and very pale skin. He looked very weak, but when he spoke, it gave Joker a sense of extreme power. The clown didn't like him one bit. Not even the man's handsome ruby red robes.

"What I'm going to do with them, Freowen, is what I have done with you." He laughed a bitter laugh.

"You are offering them immortality?" A woman asked, shocked. Joker recognised the jet black hair of Yoru; but her lovely costume was speckled in what looked like blood and she was wearing a necklace encrusted with rubies, which Joker had never seen before. Yoru approached the blonde man and bowed before him. "Beg your pardon, master; but wouldn't it be best to kill them and throw the fear of God into the people of Gotham?"

Joker looked at Yoru's back, incredulously. 'What was she saying!'

"Hm…" Came the thoughtful reply. Murdoch rubbed his chin with long, bony fingers before looking out the dirty window behind him. "Perhaps…" he said slowly, "I should kill the crime-fighter… No!" He suddenly said, shaking his head, vigorously. He turned back to Yoru with a mad gleam in his eye. "I cannot kill the Bat! It would be such a waste of his name!"

Yoru raised her head. "May I ask how, master?"

"Don't you see?" He sounded impatient with her, now. "Batman represents fear among the citizens of Gotham. The people living here do not know of his intentions! All they know is that he has beaten everything thrown at him and he only appears at night... Just like me." Joker frowned, though he could not see it, Yoru was frowning too, though she was doing so in concentration upon her master's words, who continued. "The Batman and I; we are the same." Joker rolled his eyes. This man knew nothing. "Only, he works for good and I work for my own purpose. His name is an added bonus." He let out a laugh, probably his own little joke. "…which is why…" He moved towards his two hostages; Joker snapped his eyes shut. "…I want him on my side when I take over Gotham."

"And what of the other one?" Yoru asked. Joker opened his eyes and glared at her back. 'The other one? How dare she!' Joker soon noticed far too late, that Murdoch was looking down at him, with a sneer upon his thin face.

"It seems that the _other one _has been eavesdropping!" He informed Yoru, who turned and looked at the madman blankly. Murdoch bent over him and gave a sinister smile which could match the Joker's. "Having fun, are we?"

Joker raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to be funny?"

"No, that's your job, if I am correct."

"Damn right it is. What the hell have you tied me up me for? Do I owe you money or something?" The man didn't answer; he just returned to his throne and smiled maliciously. Joker settled his gaze on Yoru instead, who was still giving him an emotionless stare. "You're going to be in big trouble when I get out of here, young lady." He scolded her.

"You mean _if _you get out of here." Murdoch informed, eyes gleaming. Joker rolled his eyes.

"Like I've never heard that one before."

"You're right. You will get out of here." Joker looked bemused. Murdoch continued, "Just… not as yourself."

"I thought there'd be some sort of catch." He grumbled, still keeping his malevolent grin. Then he remembered the figure next to him. What was taking the Bat so long? It seemed like Murdoch could read his mind, for his cold eyes narrowed at his caped hostage, who hadn't said anything as of yet.

"Master?" Yoru spoke again, now looking at Murdoch. He didn't respond, but she continued. "The sun will be rising soon and I-" He cut her short.

"Of course. Mustn't delay the ritual." He smoothed his robes and stood up, beckoning to Yoru for something. Joker felt uneasy.

"Ritual? What ritual?"

Yoru presented a long, crooked dagger to her master before he began walking towards Joker while chanting something in a foreign language. Joker struggled against his bounds, desperate to get free. He didn't want to be defeated so easily. Not when he had so many more pranks to pull…

Murdoch crouched down in front of him and drew the dagger to Joker's arm; intending to slit a vertical cut. Joker prepared to bring his legs up and throw the man off balance, but he didn't need to; because Batman had stood up and knocked the knife out of Murdoch's white hands. The vigilante then advanced to aiming a punch to his face: the impact threw him off balance.

"Batman; my hero!" Joker giggled as the crime fighter jumped over him and stood above Murdoch, who just laughed as Batman narrowed his eyes in fury.

"Freowen!" He commanded to Yoru, who was still stationary, "Give this gentleman another kiss of yours for proving himself as such good entertainment!"

"Hey!" Joker protested at Batman's compliment, from the floor. The first part of Murdoch's order came back to him, "… wait… so that's what you did to me! " he exclaimed, furiously at Yoru. Batman remembered her approaching him in the alleyway and abruptly brought his attention back to Yoru as she made her way towards him. His mind was racing: what should he do? Was this really Yoru? Murdoch kept calling her Freowen. But he didn't want to harm her; even though she was a criminal. This wasn't her… Batman could feel it. All of this.. just wasn't her style. It wasn't her fault.

"This time, I brought mistletoe." She held up a sprig of the plant above their heads. "Pucker up, Bat-boy." As she made her unnatural smile, Batman noticed something sparkling threateningly; the ruby necklace! Could it be..?

"Hello? Someone in extreme discomfort here, and you're getting all smoochy instead of helping me?" Joker writhed on the floor, still trying to loosen his cords.

Ignoring him, Batman ripped the necklace off and threw it into the corner, hoping that his gut feeling was correct. Yoru stopped and gasped; her face became blank. Batman felt a pang of stupidity. What if he made the wrong choice?

"No! You fool!" Murdoch crawled to the fallen necklace and inspected it. "You have ruined it…" His eyes flashed dangerously. Batman threw his Batarang at his hand, aiming to knock the necklace away but, on contact with Murdoch's skin, it had no effect.

"Wow. I wish I could do that." Joker murmured in awe.

Batman's eyes widened. "Who… what are you?" He asked, uncertainly. He did want to know what he was up against.

"Heh." Murdoch stood and pocketed the necklace. "You of all people, to ask me, Batman." He laughed derisively.

"Are you going to answer the question, or what?" Joker asked impatiently. Murdoch threw him a look.

"Quiet, Jester."

"_Joker_." He corrected him, irritated.

"Batman, I am what you have pretended to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Batman frowned at this enigmatic answer.

"What it means, Batman; is that I am the true bat-man, so to speak." He grinned, now revealing pointed canines. "According to mythology; men of my kind are closely related to the flying mammal… Is it clear now?" Murdoch reached into his robes, but Batman didn't notice. He was too busy absorbing that information. How could he… was he really..?

"Batman, look out!" Yoru screamed, pushing him to the floor. Murdoch, who had ran towards him with the sharp dagger, tripped over Batman's body and fell through the window. Yoru climbed out through the window after him, a murderous look upon her face. Batman retrieved his Batarang then, put one foot through the shattered pane.

"Isn't anyone going to untie me?" Joker glared at the vigilante, who pulled himself through the window.

"I'll come back for you, afterwards." Batman said before taking off after Yoru, who was chasing Murdoch to the river.

She caught up with him at the waters' edge and knocked him to the ground. "What did you do to me!" She screamed at him, pounding his thin body relentlessly with her clenched fists, "What did you do?" Batman approached her warily; she seemed too angry for him to just lead away from the man she so wanted to cause injury.

"Fool." Murdoch sneered. He raised his hands and Yoru felt frozen; held by invisible bounds. Batman made to move, but he, too was held. Murdoch rose. "Do you really think that a petty mortal can vanquish me so easily? Bah!" He slapped her hard. "Once I have Batman and Joker on my side, Gotham will be mine. I have no real need for you; I only accepted you so that you could bring in those truly worthy of my apprenticeship. And you did. For that, I thank you; but…goodbye, my sweet!" Suddenly, he grabbed her and dragged her into the water, holding her around the neck.

At that moment, Batman felt his bounds release him; he made to jump into the water to save Yoru, but an invisible force field repelled him when he approached the water. He watched the surface of the water, hoping, praying that Yoru could survive. Even though it seemed unlikely as many bubbles broke the water's surface. Batman felt helpless; he didn't know what to do. None of his other enemies had powers like this. He paced, trying to think of some means of breaking the field. He couldn't let her die; he would've failed in his purpose. He promised to bring justice, not to allow people to die at the hands of others. Then he noticed that the water had gone in. Batman turned to the river and saw a tidal wave rearing before him; ready to strike. He reached for his grappling hook and aimed it at the bridge above them. The water crashed below him as he flew off the ground. When he reached the bridge, he looked below at the water and still had no sign of Murdoch… or Yoru. But he did notice Joker coughing up a great deal of water near the factory they had just left. The clown picked himself up and noticed Batman clinging to the metal beam of the bridge.

"Yo-ho, Batsy! It seems I didn't need your so-called help, after all! Hah! Hang on…" He chuckled at the irony, then squinted, "Where's Yoru?"

"Murdoch is holding her under the water!" Batman shouted, but added as he noticed Joker run towards the water, "No: there's a force f- huh?" For Joker had slipped beneath the waves without any problem. Batman was unsure of what he had just seen. He lowered himself to the ground.

"I know I shouldn't pollute the water, but…" He threw an empty vial at the river, however it was repelled by the field surrounding it. "How…" He began, but was thrown to the floor by a sudden strong gust of wind. "Murdoch!" He growled. A coarse laugh echoed around him.

"Nice to know I've made an impression. Now; about your participation…" Murdoch walked out of the river, taking out a dagger, which sparkled with the residue of the water.

"I'm not participating in anything!" Batman snarled. He took his Batarang out and took aim at Murdoch's neck. The last resort to end this evil…

"You're not going to try that again?" He asked, extending the arm which the sharp blades of the Batarang had hit earlier. The skin was unscathed. Murdoch let out a laugh. "Just try to defeat me."

He chanted under his breath and suddenly the early morning's sky was obscured by dark clouds. Then a flash of lightning descended from the sky, landing between Murdoch and Batman. The lightning created an explosion of sand and rock, which bombarded Batman as he was thrown a couple of yards away from where he stood before. He landed hard on his shoulder; which caused him a lot of pain. He rolled onto his back, feeling his shoulder throb persistently. He felt too weak to take Murdoch out; but he must. He sat up as Murdoch laughed as though he were playing with him. Then Murdoch's laughter died in his throat. He looked scared as he directed his gaze upwards to the sky, which was lightening by the second. It was almost sunrise.

Batman could sense Murdoch's fear as he said, "You may have retained your freedom for one more day, Batman; but I will have you in my control by tomorrow!" He vanished into thin air, as Batman collapsed onto his back, breathing hard through the pain.

It look the Dark Knight a few seconds to realise that he'd forgotten something.

"Yoru!" He gasped, climbing to his feet and ignoring the pain in his shoulder blade. She was probably dead by now… but what of Joker? Batman ran towards the now calm waves. He looked up and down the tide line, frantically. What if they were both killed when Murdoch unleashed lightning on the shore? Would it be possible for the electric current to travel to the water and therefore electrocute both Yoru and Joker?

"Joker!" He yelled, desperately. "Can you hear me!"

"Over here, Batsy!" A familiar voice called from behind him.

Batman spun around, a huge weight preparing to lift from his conscience. Joker was waving to him from inside the warehouse, grinning as usual. Batman was worried; what if he didn't get Yoru? He made his way to the shattered window and climbed through cautiously, ready to attack Joker if he needed to. Upon entering the old building once more, Batman noticed someone huddled, shivering incessantly on the floor, covered in a purple tailcoat. He noticed Joker standing in the corner, his hands behind his back and bouncing on the balls of his feet. He wasn't wearing his jacket. Batman looked at the figure on the floor, once more.

"Yoru?" He called, gently. Joker pirouetted in the corner, giggling as he did.

"Batman was too afraid to save you, _Freowen_!" He cackled.

The figure twitched on the floor. "_Don't _call me that. Ever." A weak voice came from beneath the coat, though her words were filled with spite. Joker stopped spinning and sat next to Yoru.

"Come, now; I save your life and you won't let me use your secret name?"

Yoru made to get up, but she only managed to pull herself into a sitting position. From that, she glared at Joker, who was watching her with interest. "It's not a secret name. It's the name of my past life. I am not Freowen, anymore."

Batman spoke, "Are you alright, Yoru?" She looked up at him, smiling faintly.

"I'll live… what happened? Last night was a blur…" She looked at Joker, frowning. "What day is it?"

"Friday." Batman muttered.

Joker frowned. "What do you remember?"

Yoru screwed up her face in concentration. "… I remember… you…" She said, slowly.

"Well, duh." The clown exclaimed. Yoru gave him a look, which asked him to save his comments for later.

She continued, head in hands, "I also remember… a woman nearly getting run over… and… a noise…" Batman glanced at Joker, who looked like he understood what Yoru was saying. "I followed it… and…" Joker leaned closer to her, as though she were whispering, "No." She shook her head.

"No?" Joker cried. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't remember." She sighed, helplessly. "But I can tell it was something bad. How else would I have ended up in the river?"

Batman moved to the window and looked out onto the river bank, now highlighted by the morning sun. "You remember Murdoch?" He asked.

"Murdoch?" She repeated, confused. Then her face darkened. "Yes: I remember him. But I don't know why he tried to drown me…"

"You did try to injure him." Batman reminded her.

"Yes, but it didn't affect him!" She said, annoyed.

"He's a vampire" Batman murmured.

"A vampire!" Joker cried, incredulously.

"Vampire? What makes you say that?" Yoru asked, curiously.

"He told me."

"Probably a new fad." Joker suggested. "You know how people get; when 'Goth' is in and 'Punk' is out. Maybe it's a new label."

"I doubt it." Batman said. "But we need to know his motive. Vampire or not."

"I know." Yoru murmured, "He said… that he would use you and Joker to take over Gotham. My purpose, according to him, was that I was supposed to bring you to him... and I did." She whispered the last words, the last night flooding back to her. She turned to Joker, a look of sincere regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry…" She said. Then, turning to the caped figure who was massaging his shoulder, illuminated by the orange glow from outside, she said again, "I'm sorry, Batman. If I knew what I was doing-"

"-You wouldn't have. I know." He finished her sentence, pulling out a device from his belt. "Do not go outside at night. Either of you. Until I give further notice."

Joker jumped up, "You're setting a curfew? But we're old enough to look after ourselves, daddy!" He laughed maniacally and failed to notice Batman approaching him with a set of black handcuffs. Yoru shook her head in disbelief; Joker was so stupid, sometimes.

"Hey, what gives?" He cried in shock as Batman cuffed his hands together.

"You were due to return to Arkham, and to Arkham you will go."

Joker glared at Yoru. "A little help, here?" He demanded. "I didn't save you for nothing, you know."

Yoru rolled her eyes and tripped Batman over with her legs. She stamped on the shoulder he was rubbing earlier, confident that it would stall him for long enough. His cry of anguish was enough to tell her that this was their chance to escape. Grabbing Joker by the handcuffs, she climbed through the window and took him with her as she ran along the shadows to central Gotham, hoping that Batman wasn't too badly hurt.


	4. Closer

Chapter Four - Closer

_Hello, __wonderful readers. Been a long time, eh?_

_Sorry to leave all of you hanging for SO LONG, but I honestly lost all motivation for this story__ a long time ago – as is the usual case with me and my past experiences with writing. As much as I hate other writers for doing the same… I'm only human. TT-TT_

_Before I gave up completely on this story, I managed to write one last chapter, which I unfortunately lost. However, I discovered this lost segment of my story this evening, and thought that it was the least I owe you all for adding this story to your favourites and subscriptions. ( And for that, thank you SO much. Hugs for all!)_

_So, I hope you enjoy it. I thought it was pretty amusing to find this again and read over what my fifteen-year old self had thought up. I think I might have some plot notes lying around somewhere, so I'll try and locate them. I'd love to finish this story for you all, but I can't make any definite promises. I'm a university student now, and I scarcely have time to breathe, let alone write FanFictions, any more. xX_

_But we'll see. Let the missing chapter commence!_

_ Francesca__ Jayawardena: Purple Harlequin _

Chapter Four - Closer

As Joker and Yoru made their way, carefully towards Central Gotham, it became harder and harder for them to hide themselves in the shadows since the sun was risen now. The shadows were still there, but they weren't as useful to a pair of criminals on the run.

"This is why I only come out at night." Yoru muttered, checking around the corner to make sure no one was there, before dragging Joker along behind her. She looked back at his wrists, which were still bound by Batman's handcuffs.

"I don't suppose you have a key, do you?" He asked her. She pursed her lips.

"We'll worry about that later. First, we need to find somewhere to take shelter… it's a long way to my hideout yet." Yoru sighed, tiredly. She felt so drained, so exhausted; as if she ran a marathon last night. She noticed an alleyway to their left, which she slumped into and sat on the floor, closing her eyes as if going to sleep right there. Joker followed her in, with his eyebrow raised at her sudden drowsiness.

"Well… my place isn't too far from here." He mused, looking about the alleyway. Yoru opened her eyes and looked up at him, frowning slightly. "What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Nothing." She shook her head as Joker rolled his eyes. He noticed something in the corner as Yoru looked down at her dress, which she was shocked to find covered in blood. "What…" She gasped. "What happened last night?" She asked Joker, who frowned.

"I thought you said you remembered." He said slowly. Then his face lit up, "A saw!" He exclaimed, picking up the instrument off the ground. "What are the odds, eh?" He attempted to hack away at the handcuffs, but because they bound his wrists together, it proved very difficult.

"Give it here, Joker." Yoru sighed. He gave her the saw; which she then used to cut him loose of the manacles. It was quite hard work, but they managed to break one of the links between his wrists, which allowed him to move his arms freely again.

Yoru then returned her stare to her blood-soaked dress. "I remembered taking you and Batman hostage." She murmured. "I don't remember… this."

Joker began to fill her in, "Last nigh-" Then he abruptly stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening suddenly at the sound he could hear approaching from the distance. Yoru's heart started beating frantically. They could both hear the sirens. Gotham Police were coming. Joker looked deeper into the alley. It was a dead end. "Right." Joker looked upwards and saw what he was looking for: a drainpipe. He looked at Yoru, who had peeped around the alley corner. "Can you climb?" He hissed. She turned and looked at him quizzically. Joker pointed at the unsteady pipe and she shook her head worriedly. "Oh boy…" Joker groaned. The sirens were getting louder by the second. Yoru looked around the corner again. Not one police car in sight. There was an alleyway across the road, in which Yoru could distinctly see a set of metal staircases, which she could use to get to the roof and take a safer route. Judging by the pitch of the sirens, the police were only a few roads away from them. She stepped back into the alleyway, a dark look upon her face.

"I'll run for it; you take the rooftops." She told Joker. He shrugged.

"Sure. Works for me." He turned to the drainpipe and climbed up it expertly. Yoru took a deep breath and ignored the screaming of the sirens which were only one road away now, surely. She took one look at the Clown Prince of Crime, who was now hoisting himself up onto the rooftop, before making to run as fast as she could across the road. But before she could manage it, another car came hurtling down the road in the opposite direction, nearly running her over. She jumped back, recovering quickly and looked down the road. Her heart nearly skipped a beat: the police car was coming down the road at a uniform speed. They'd definitely spot her if she stayed there, in the small alley. She clenched her fists, bracing herself: Sometimes you just _have_ to take risks.

Yoru ran towards the alley as fast as she could manage at her level of energy. She didn't dare check on the police car for fear of tripping over. As soon as she made it into the alleyway, she made a desperate leap for the ladder above her. She caught it, though the impact of throwing her weight onto her arms nearly wrenched them from their sockets. She stifled a scream of pain and pulled herself up. The orange sun glared across the rooftops as Yoru squinted hard to figure out a route to familiar grounds.

She looked towards the opposite roofs in search of Joker, but the clown was nowhere to be seen. Yoru smiled, sadly. Well, at least one of them was safe now. She began to move in an easterly direction; her route aided by the sun. Then she suddenly got the feeling that she was being watched and she spun around, ready to face Murdoch.

But he wasn't there. Yoru frowned at herself for being so paranoid and continued along her path, until…

"Freeze!" A commanding voice from below her yelled. Yoru stiffened and looked down at the road; an Oriental woman was standing in the open door of a police car, gun poised; ready to shoot her if she decided to run. Yoru sighed in defeat. What a pathetic way to get caught: wandering the roofs like some lost fool. "Wait there and we'll come for you." A black officer got out from the other side of the car and made a phone call, probably to his chief.

Yoru looked about the place for a way to get out of the stupid mess she got herself into. But there was none. That police officer wasn't taking her eyes off Yoru, and the confident way in which she was holding the gun made it clear that she had a good aim.

Then after a moment, Yoru blinked and frowned at the female officer.

"Erm: I know this might sound a bit odd, but… what am I under arrest for?"

The officer seemed a bit confused by this question. Her hand lowered slightly; if Yoru had run then, she might have got away.

"Haven't you heard?" She asked, regaining her aim upon Yoru's shoulder.

"Heard what?" Yoru asked, confused.

"Well, that doesn't matter 'cos she's not going to jail!" Yoru jumped; _Joker _was right behind her all along. Before the police officer had a chance to pull the trigger, Joker had grabbed Yoru around the waist, lifted her up and ran as far away from the police as he could. "What do you think you're doing?" Yoru said through gritted teeth, tightening her grip around Joker's neck so she didn't fall.

He let out a single laugh, then suddenly his voice grew serious. "You did something to me last night and I'm feeling some weird side effects. Maybe you can give me some answers to my questions." Yoru strained to understand what he was talking about. But her memory was a blank save for a few blurry recollections, such as ambushing Joker and the Bat; Yoru looked at Joker. He did look a little pale, but he was pale anyway. How could she differentiate when he looks healthy or not?

Joker carried her a while - it seems that GCPD lost them - before stopping at the ledge of a rooftop. He let go of Yoru, who put her feet on the roof, uncertainly.

"What now?" She asked. Joker looked at the ground; so did she. It was a long way down. After a few seconds, he looked at her again, a mad gleam in his eye. Yoru was reminded of someone, but she couldn't match a name to that particular maniacal expression which was etched upon Joker's face. "Joker…" She said nervously; he was starting to scare her now.

"We jump." He spoke, excitedly. Yoru's green eyes widened at him.

"You're joking." She said; Yoru could easily spot a way to ground level a few buildings away. But before she could point that out, Joker cackled and grabbed her hand; before she could pull away, he'd jumped off the roof - taking her with him.

Yoru shut her eyes and squeezed Joker's hand as they fell forever, it seemed. Then her feet met the ground and her knees gave way; she tumbled to the floor and rolled onto her back, inhaling deep mouthfuls of air. It was then that Yoru realised that she held her breath during the fall.

"Wasn't that just _fun_?" Joker's head appeared upside down in the middle of the sky. He was leaning over her with a look of euphoria which a child would put on after conquering a particularly scary roller coaster.

Yoru pushed him away, irritably and sat up. "Are you insane?!" She shrieked. Joker cocked his head to one side, clearly puzzled, but amused all the same.

"Should I really patronise you by answering that question?" He giggled. Yoru found his immature laughter suddenly the most annoying thing in the world. She grabbed hold of his orange shirt and pulled, him so that his grinning face was inches from hers, in a threatening manner.

"You could've gotten us killed, pulling a stupid stunt like that, you moron!" She seethed at him. Joker stopped smiling and wrenched her hands off his shirt. Yoru rubbed her wrists from where he grabbed her as he straightened up, unexpectedly annoyed. She was so taken aback by this change of personality that she stared at him, afraid of this new Joker.

"And here I thought you had a good sense of fun, _Freowen_." He said, somewhat bitterly.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" Yoru growled, even though she felt bad about what he said. Joker didn't respond, but looked about the area instead.

They were in _another _alleyway.

He seemed to recognise the place, since he instantly walked over to a dumpster and lifted it up purposefully. Yoru gaped: did she know that Joker was really that strong?

Then she noticed a small opening in the ground beneath the dumpster and closed her mouth, feeling stupid.

It was a fake dumpster.

"Ladies first." Joker motioned to the passageway which he just opened.

Yoru looked at him. "Where-" She began, but Joker answered her question before she could finish it.

"My hideout. Just follow the tunnel." He said casually.

Yoru lowered herself into the hole, feeling hesitant about crawling into such a small space. She ducked and began to move along the passage, guided by her hands owing to the darkness. A few moments later, Yoru began to wonder if Joker had tricked her for insulting him; and this was an endless passage, in which she would be crawling for days.

"Joker?" She called, nervously. There was no reply from behind her for a few seconds. Then his voice cut through the darkness.

"What?" He replied, irritably. "Just keep crawling: you can't get lost in here." Feeling a bit more comforted, Yoru continued along the tunnel for a considerable length of time, - or did it feel so lengthy because the tunnel was so claustrophobic? - until Joker grabbed her ankle. "Stop." He ordered, kneeling and lifting the roof of the passage up.

Light flooded the tunnel and Yoru saw that Joker had just opened a secret opening into what seemed to be a warehouse. As she climbed up onto the floor after Joker, she noticed that there was a castle in the far corner, which had the masks of comedy and tragedy on each of the two turrets.

"Your hideout?" She asked rhetorically. It certainly felt like somewhere Joker would set up residence.

"Like it?" He asked, closing the tunnel opening; but before waiting for an answer, he opened his arms, inhaled deeply and said, "Home, sweet home!"

Yoru wondered how this could possibly be a home to anyone, since huge crates were taking up a lot of space and the only area which looked capable of proving home was the pseudo castle. She sincerely doubted that the miniature building had plumbing or any central heating for the winter.

"…Even though that idiot ruined some of it." Joker sniffed at the broken crates and floorboards scattered around the vast space. Yoru didn't dare point out that the ceiling was partly destroyed too, since he seemed quite annoyed at the mess which he _did _notice.

Then Joker turned to her and bore a knowing look into her eyes.

"What?" She asked, feeling uncomfortable again.

He sighed and lifted his green hair from his shoulders. Yoru frowned, deeply confused by this action.

"Look at my neck." He told her. Yoru did so, and she noticed two small pinpricks of red.

"What has that got to do with me?" She asked, though she knew too much about folklore and vampires to not understand what he was trying to get across.

"Everything." Joker lowered his hair and looked intently at her, as though deciding if she was bluffing or not. "You seriously can't remember?" He asked Yoru, who was deep in thought.

"…No. I don't remember… much."

"What _do _you remember?" He jumped onto a crate and peered down at her, awaiting her answer.

"I told you, Joker." She responded impatiently. "All I remember is taking you and Batman to… Murdoch."

Joker raised an eyebrow. "What part of taking us there do you remember?"

Yoru thought about this for a moment, stroking her green arm gloves as she did. One was caked in dried blood, which Yoru stared at for a moment. "Oh God…" She gasped, a look of shock upon her face. "What have I done?"

"FINALLY! You remember now?" Joker cried triumphantly; but as he opened his mouth to say something else, Yoru spoke, voice trembling.

"I killed them…" She whispered, "Every one of them…"

Her knees gave way and she collapsed to the floor, a look of pure terror on her face as though she could see something Joker could not.

The clown scratched his head. She obviously hadn't remembered what he wanted her to. He climbed down from the crate and sat down, shuffling towards her until he was directly in front of her.

Joker noticed tears running down her horrified face, and it embarrassed him. Yet, he still spoke, "Uh… Can you remember what happened after all that… bloody… stuff?"

She blinked and wiped away the tears slowly while saying, "I…" Then she suddenly lost the look of fear on her face and it was replaced by a look of utter disgust.

"Yes..?" Joker said, encouraging her to elaborate.

"Blood?" She exclaimed. "What was I thinking?"

Joker chuckled. "You remember taking the blood of that moronic official, huh?" Yoru looked at him, then shook her head vigorously, though this news disgusted her further. "Then what?" He questioned.

Yoru grimaced at the floor. "I remember wanting blood. Lusting for the taste. When I was sitting in the van…" Joker drew a sharp breath; this is what he brought her here for. "But the rest is a blur." She said quickly, shaking her head again. Joker fell onto his back, groaning with disappointment. "Sorry." She added, sensing his frustration.

"Hmph." The Clown Prince of Crime grumbled moodily.

"Why did you want to know, anyway?" She asked curiously.

Joker waved his hand in the air. "Oh, you know. These bite marks could have been something serious. But it doesn't matter since _you _can't remember."

Yoru narrowed her eyes. "It's not my fault, Joker."

"Of course not." Came the sarcastic reply.

Yoru got to her feet, annoyed. "I'm sick of your attitude towards me, Joker. Would it kill you to show a little patience to someone who has a brief spell of amnesia?"

When he didn't reply, Yoru sighed exasperatedly. "How silly of me; you expect to _always _get your own way."

"Now, now. You know that's not true." Joker wagged a finger at her from the floor. Yoru rolled her eyes as he continued. "If that were so, I'd easily manipulate my way out of Arkham. It's not that straightforward, I can tell you that." He looked at his castle, then his grin returned as he darted towards it. Yoru stood there, growing weary of this unexplained behaviour.

"What now?" She yelled after him, as he rushed into the building and started rummaging around in it.

"I need to get a start on my next crime!" He cried, gleefully.

Yoru couldn't help but laugh. "Does your entire existence revolve around creating mayhem and destruction?"

"Why not?" He appeared at the top of the castle, smiling from ear to ear as he read something off a blueprint. "Aha!" He exclaimed, remembering something. He grabbed a rope and jumped from the castle, cackling. When he landed onto the floor, he clasped his hands behind his back and addressed Yoru. "You are very lucky to be the first person in Gotham to meet my new recruits."

"Recruits?" Yoru echoed. "I thought you worked alone."

"Yes, but a little help never hurt anyone now, did it?" Joker said, airily. Then he scurried back to the castle and called into the open door. "Punch? Judy?"

Moments later, two large figures clad in purple left the castle and stood on either side of the grinning clown. Yoru absorbed their odd appearance. They simply looked like two overweight circus freaks.

"What do you think?" Joker folded his arms.

Yoru spluttered, not sure of what to say, "Well…" She began, "They're very… very…" She wanted to say 'hideous', but the look on Joker's face resembled that of a proud parent, so she hurriedly said instead, "Interesting?"

"My thoughts exactly!" He beamed up at them. "They'll prove very useful in my next stunt…"

Yoru didn't satisfy her curiosity by asking her what he was planning to do, but she asked instead, "Where did you get them?" She instantly realised how rude this might have sounded, so she said to the goons, "Sorry; I don't mean to offend."

"They don't mind." Joker patted one of their beefy arms. Then he recalled Yoru's question. "E-bay." He said simply.

Yoru raised her eyebrows. "E-bay? Seriously?"

Joker shrugged. "You can get anything on there, don'tcha know." He burst out laughing as Yoru sighed, shaking her head.

Then the smile on his face dissolved as he winced and collapsed onto the floor. Punch and Judy looked confusingly down at the clown, who was writhing in apparent pain. They weren't sure of what was going on or what to do.

Yoru rushed forward instinctively and knelt down beside him. "Joker? What's wrong? Can you hear me?" She asked gently.

Without warning, Joker's hand shot out and grabbed Yoru's arm, tight. The sudden movement was so terrifying, that she moved back slightly, in alarm. Nevertheless, she spoke again. "Joker, tell me what's happening." She commanded with authority, even though she flinched as his nails cut deeper into her skin. Joker didn't respond, he seemed to be having a fit. Yoru looked desperately at Punch and Judy. "Please tell me one of you knows First Aid." She begged.

The two goons looked at each other, then shook their heads, idiotically. Yoru sighed impatiently and looked down at Joker, who was still squirming in pain, though it seemed as if he was calming down now. His eyes were glazed over, but his breathing was returning to normal. Then he abruptly stopped moving.

"Joker?" Yoru called into his ear. Joker blinked and looked at her, his blank facial expression suddenly contorting into an angry one..

"Now do you see?" He snarled, suddenly aggressive. Yoru looked at him incredulously. Joker sat up and continued, "This is a result of whatever you did to me last night!" As he spoke, he motioned to the scars on his neck.

"But how do you know if it was me?" She folded her arms, sick of his unexpected mood swings.

Joker clicked his fingers and the henchmen lifted him to his feet. He narrowed his eyes at Yoru. "I can tell. I'm not stupid."

Yoru let out an exasperated sigh. "How the hell can you possibly know, unless you saw me do it? What, do you calculate everyone's teeth marks or something?!" Joker extended his hand to her dress and touched the blood stains.

"That's my blood." He murmured.

Yoru opened her mouth in shock. "How..?" She asked, bewildered.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is what will eventually happen to me if these fits are getting worse."

Yoru observed Joker's facial expressions. He seemed even surlier than usual. She wondered if this was another of the side effects of whatever he was going through. And if he was going through something… what was it; and how would they find out?

"Batman." She said, suddenly.

Joker looked like she just slapped him. "What?" He spat. "I'd never ask _him _for help. He's my sparring partner, and that alone!"

"Yes, but do you want to get rid of these fits or not?" She asked, impatiently. "It would be best to ask someone who always counter-acts disasters. I mean, he _did _find an antidote to your Joker Gas."

Joker scowled at this, but he pondered on her suggestion for a while, pacing the floor.

Eventually he turned back to her and said, "Fine. Let's do things your way."

Yoru smiled. "Now we just need a way to get him."


End file.
